Jeff Tedford's Cal Bears have won just three games this season. (AP Photo)

Cal (3-8) has lost four straight games by a combined 150-60 going into this weekend’s game at Oregon State, and hasn’t lost five straight to finish a season in nearly three decades. Tedford is by far the winningest coach in school history (82 wins in 11 seasons), and has led Cal to eight of its 21 career bowl games.

But this goes beyond wins and losses and directly into cash flow: fans aren’t going to games, and the university has debt payments to be made on the recent stadium renovation. Meanwhile, Cal will owe Tedford $6.9 million if he is fired—an obvious revenue drain.

No matter what, this potential change is about finding the right coach who can generate enthusiasm in a fluid Pac-12 Conference dynamic. The top candidates:

Charlie Strong, Louisville: Interviewed for the job 11 years ago when Tedford was hired and was the school’s second choice. Strong has spoken over the years about his desire to land the Cal job during that search, and how disappointed he was that it didn’t happen. He’ll have his choice of jobs this offseason, including a few in the SEC.

James Franklin, Vanderbilt: Has proven he can win at a school with high academic standards, while dealing with a history of poor performance on and off (recruiting) the field. Dynamic personality who has changed the culture at the SEC’s perennial loser.

Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky: A former Stanford assistant who knows the Northern California recruiting trails, and knows what it takes to win (and build a fan base) on the West Coast from his time with Jim Harbaugh. Much like Strong, he, too, will have other offers—probably in the SEC.

Gary Andersen, Utah State: Kyle Whittingham’s top assistant at Utah before leaving for Utah State and rebuilding a struggling program. He’s a defense-first guy (No. 6 nationally in scoring defense), but also understands the value of a spread offense (Aggies averaging 32 points a game).

Mike McIntyre, San Jose State: Has done the unthinkable at San Jose State, which probably should have given up FBS football a few years ago. The Spartans are relevant again, and McIntyre has quickly assimilated to West Coast recruiting.